Dragonball Z is one of those Anime series that so many remember from their childhood, perhaps like us filled with memories of rushing home from school to catch the latest on Cartoon Network and it served as our gateway drug to later anime addiction.

But not because of the stories which were often hard to follow, at least for us, but mainly because of the epic battles that left craters in the ground and saw foes flying through the sky kung fu fighting the snot out of each other.

It stands to reason then, that one of the best Anime series - based around epic battles - should be the one to produce a fighting game thats just as addictive and just as epic.

The first Dragonball Xenoverse was a great brawler that tapped into the nostalgia of the series, but it didn’t quite deliver a deep enough combat experience.

Xenoverse 2 fixes that with a more refined fighting system and some sly but excellent RPG elements to be explored.

You take on the role of a Time Patroller, tasked with putting a stop to the latest group of bad guys set on altering history as you know if for their own malevolent ends.

Obviously this give you free reign to visit every major battle the series has known and take a front seat in the unfolding events without messing with the series cannon.

Over the top and a little ridiculous but it works and we loved it, especially being able to build our own character from the ground up.

Most of your choices here are superficial but you’ll need to think carefully when picking your heroes race as each have their own unique balance of core stats, with Saiyans holding top spot for power but falling below par when it comes to health and Humans standing as the best all round fighters.

As you’d expect from watching the show, fights take place in wide open 3D maps, often with sprawls of enemies and team mates keeping the pace up.

Something which is already at high levels thanks to your character being an overpowered beast from the start.

PS4 Pro - Sony's super-charged new console

Introducing the super-charged PS4 Pro. The most powerful PlayStation ever made and available 10 November 2016.

1 / 11

Battles move fast and rather than focusing on combos to turn the tides of victory, it’s much more about timing and learning to use your limited stamina which covers defence and evasion.

It's also important if you want to fuel your characters super attack. You can’t just Kamehameha - the equiveilnt of a Street Fighter Hadouken - all over the shop after all!

However none of this is as easy as it sounds, with standard attacks serving little more than as a means to set up your enemy for a super-attack to take a large chunk off their health bar.

Spirit Bombs, Demon Wave, Destructo Bombs and everything in between are also here, providing a huge slab of fan service.

Namco Bandai

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 has greatly improved on the original release

There’s various game modes on offer too, the main campaign starts in Conton City and essentially revolves around chatting to characters in the hub and taking on missions that lead to battles throughout the Dragonball timeline.

It’s pretty easy to get hooked as you jump from moment to moment, something that we found commendable for a brawler.

Multiplayer is obviously included should you fancy going toe to toe with some mates.

There's also co-op Parallels Missions which let you team up to tackle special changes in anything from Huge Boss Battles to brawls with numerous foes against the clock.

Regardless, there's no escaping that Dragonball Xenoverse 2 is easily one of the best games the anime franchise has spawned.

It’s face paced and deep battles are a true joy to be a part of and it tugs at the right heart strings for those of you who remember the series well.

It may be a little harder to dive into for those who don't know the series, but it's worth remembering that Xenoverse 2 is also a great fighting game right at its very core.